Garage Door Opener Repair in {{area.main}}
An opener that hums without lifting, a door that reverses before it closes, a remote that stopped working: most opener faults in the {{area.alt}} come down to a handful of parts, and many are repairable.
When an opener is past saving, it's replaced with one suited to your door and how you use it. Some opener problems aren't the opener at all, and a few you can fix yourself, so check the list below first.
Common opener problems
The motor runs or clicks, but the door stays put
A stripped drive gear, a failed capacitor, or a door too heavy for the opener because a spring has broken.
The door starts down, then reverses
Usually the safety sensors: out of line, dirty, wired loose, or blinded by low sun. Sometimes the close force is set wrong, or the door is binding in its tracks.
The door stops partway
Travel limits out of adjustment, or the opener meeting resistance it wasn't set for.
The remote or keypad has stopped working
A battery, a lost pairing after a power outage, or the wall control's lock button pressed by accident.
It's louder than it used to be
A slack chain, worn drive parts, or rollers dragging in the track and making the motor work harder.
Nothing happens at all
No power at the outlet, a tripped breaker, or a failed logic board.
The trolley has come loose and the motor runs with the door standing still
The release has been pulled or has slipped out of its carriage.
Opener humming, clicking or reversing? Tell us what it does when you press the button.
Contact UsCheck these before you call
Some opener "failures" take a minute to fix, and there's no point paying for a visit to find them:
Power
Is the opener's light working? Try another appliance in the same outlet, and check the breaker.
The lock button
Many wall controls have a vacation or lock setting that disables every remote. It's often pressed by accident.
Batteries in the remote and keypad.
The sensors
The two small units at the bottom of each track, facing each other, have indicator lights. If one is off or blinking, the beam is broken. Wipe the lenses and nudge them back into line until both lights are steady.
Low sun
If the door only reverses at certain times of day, sunlight hitting a sensor lens is a common cause, and a shade or turning the units around can fix it.
If none of that helps, or the motor hums without moving the door, it's time for someone to look at it.
Opener, or the door?
An opener is built to guide a balanced door, not to lift a dead weight. If the springs have failed, a healthy opener will strain, stall or reverse, and replacing it fixes nothing. With the door down, check the spring bar over the opening for a break in the coil before blaming the opener.
If you see one, go to garage door spring repair instead.
Repair or replace the opener?
Repair usually makes sense when:
the fault is a single part, such as a gear, sprocket, capacitor, sensor, logic board or travel limit;
parts for the model are still made;
the opener otherwise runs smoothly and quietly enough for you.
Replacement usually makes sense when:
the opener predates modern safety reversing
Openers sold in the US since the early 1990s must reverse when they meet an obstruction or a broken sensor beam. An older unit without that protection should be retired, whatever else is wrong with it;
parts are no longer available for the model;
fixing it would cost close to what a new unit does;
you want something the old one can't do: quieter running, battery backup for power outages, or smartphone control.
Choosing a new opener
Chain drive
Strong and simple, and the loudest. A reasonable choice for a detached garage.
Belt drive
Quieter, and the usual pick when there's a bedroom above or beside the garage.
Screw drive
Few moving parts. Performance can vary in very cold or very hot garages.
Wall-mount (jackshaft)
Mounts beside the door on the torsion bar, freeing the ceiling. Suits high or unusual ceilings, but not every door.
Motor strength
Heavier doors, such as solid wood, double width or heavily insulated, need more lifting power even when perfectly balanced.
Extras worth deciding on up front
Battery backup, a keypad, a camera, or app control.
Ask whoever quotes for a new opener whether it suits your door's weight and your ceiling height, and whether the existing sensors and wiring will be reused or replaced.
Tell us what the door is doing
A sentence or two is plenty to start. You don't need to know the name of the part that's failed.
What drives the cost of opener repair
Which part has failed
A sensor or remote is a small job. A drive gear or logic board is more.
The make, model and age of the unit, and whether parts are still made for it.
Repair or replacement
For a new opener: the drive type, motor strength and extras you choose.
Mounting
A wall-mount unit, a high ceiling, or a garage with no existing outlet near the opener adds work.
Whether the door itself needs attention
An opener fighting worn rollers or a failing spring will keep failing until the door is fixed.
Have this ready
The brand and model number from the label on the motor unit, a rough idea of its age, and what the opener does when you press the button: silence, a hum, a click, a partial run, or a run that reverses.
A short video of the door trying to move is often the fastest diagnosis there is.
When it isn't the opener
Common questions
Can I reprogram a remote myself?
Usually, yes. Most openers have a learn button on the motor unit, and the manual, or the maker's website with your model number, explains the sequence.
Why does my door reverse only in the afternoon?
Sunlight hitting a sensor lens. Swap the two sensors to opposite sides, or fit a small shade over the receiving one.
Is it safe to disconnect the opener and use the door by hand?
Only if the springs are intact and the door is fully closed when you pull the release. A balanced door lifts easily by hand. A heavy one means the springs need attention first.
Can a new opener go on my old door?
Almost always, as long as the door is balanced and moves freely. An opener fitted to a door that binds or is out of balance will wear out early.
Other garage door services
Garage Door Spring Repair
Broken torsion or extension springs replaced with springs matched to your door's weight.
Read more →Garage Door Off Track Repair
Doors out of their tracks re-hung, bent track straightened and worn rollers replaced.
Read more →Garage Door Maintenance
A tune-up that checks springs, cables, rollers and safety reversal before anything fails.
Read more →Get in touch
Send the opener's brand and model if you have them, describe what happens when you press the button, and say whether the door moves by hand. That's usually enough to tell a sensor fix from a gear from a replacement.